Apple may participate in $100 billion SoftBank fund

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Apple is considering investing up to $1 billion in the SoftBank Vision Fund, according to areport from The Wall Street Journal.

With a fundraising target of $100 billion, Apple’s participation would mean that the world’s largest tech company would be investing in the world’s largest tech fund. SoftBank itself is investing about $25 billion and the Saudi Arabian government is expected to contribute $45 billion.

This is the same fund that President-elect Trump erroneously took credit for on Twitter last week. The plans for the fund had already been reported before the election, but Trump recently met with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son to discuss a pledge for $50 billion of the fund to be invested in the U.S.

The SoftBank fund is expected to invest in emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. If Apple were to participate, they could gain insight about innovation in these new categories.

It is unclear whether the Apple talks with SoftBank will ultimately result in a commitment. The WSJ story cautions that the “status of the talks couldn’t be learned.”

SoftBank is flush with cash, in part because of its successful bets on Alibaba and Sprint. The Japanese company is hoping that this fund will give them a stake in startups that will become the next big thing.